Kim Jong Un banned his own name
(Image credit: Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, unless you're Kim Jong Un.

North Korea's supreme leader banned citizens from naming their newborns Jong Un. The ban, dating back to 2011, was just leaked outside the country, South Korean media outlets say.

Newborns weren't the only ones out of luck. People already bearing the name, said to be a common choice for both men and women, were asked to change it on all legal documents with little warning, BBC reports. Technically, each name change was voluntary, but it's pretty likely people complied. The name ban in North Korea has precedence: Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung enforced similar rules.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.